Pawsteps In Stone
by GrandGodzilla
Summary: Lark, Tide and Breeze have always believed the tale of the Clans to be nothing more than just that, a story for kits. But when their journey to find a new territory takes them to a lake, Lark begins to realise that their new home hides an ancient past...
1. Prologue

My mother always liked to tell stories.

A graceful tabby-and white, her golden eyes would always light up when she recounted the tales told to us as kits. Every night, we'd all sit next to her in the den and, with sweeps of her fluffy tail, recount to us the days of the warriors, noble cats who fought together in a 'Clan,' cared for the old and the sick, and even shared food with each other.

My siblings and I would sit in wonder, imagining the battles, famines and hardships faced by them. We'd even play out our own fight sequences, pretend to be medicine cats treating the sick or even noble leaders sharing tongues with our warrior ancestors.

Of course, we never believed these cats were real.

How wrong we were.


	2. Chapter 1

**_Hello! I'm Tofdenrox, and this is my first fanfiction on this site! I've worke hard on this and I hope you enjoy it. More chapters up soon!_**

**_R&R!_**

'Tide!'

My call wafted over the moors, carried by the strong winds that buffeted my fur and stirred the waving fronds of heather around me. The silver-spotted head of my brother popped up from behind a thicket of gorse, and I sighed in relief.

'I think I've found a place!' he yowled back, and I turned to look for Breeze. I soon caught sight of her light gray fur against the darker hue of the clouds, and picked my way through thrashing strand of grass to tap her lightly on the shoulder. Whirling round, she hissed into my face, before realising who I was, and muttering a quiet, 'Sorry,' before joining me as we raced back to the bushes.

Tide was waiting for us, and we scrambled into a dip in the ground, sheltered by the bushes and the steeper incline surrounding us. Small rocks and boulders scattered the floor, which unusually had no grass growing on it; instead, a sandy floor, with occasional recesses in it. Too tired to appreciate our good luck, I stumbled over to such a sandy dent, and collapsed wearily in it, brother and sister curling up beside me in an attempt to provide warmth in our collective body heat. Despite the gale, and the uncomforting sensation of the hard sandy floor, it didn't take long before I felt the dark wave of exhaustion drown me in sleep.

I woke to the sound of Tide's snoring. My ears pricked and my eyes blinked sleepily open, before I lifted my head and yawned, mouth opening to reveal pearly-white teeth. We had been travelling for days, and as I closed my gaping mouth, I felt a little envy for the still sleeping forms of my brother and sister curled beside me; I wished I hadn't woken up so early! But there was no chance of me drifting back to my dreams now; I was fully awake, and as I carefully picked my way to standing, trying not to disturb those still snoozing, I felt a pang of curiosity as I looked around our shelter from the storm.

It was an odd feature to a deserted moorland, to be sure. In the light, and without too much weariness tugging at my paws, it was clear to see that this place had once been inhabited; the dips in the floor, the well-worn floor; cats had once lived here. It was certainly odd to think that we were not the only cats who had once slept in this enclosed hollow. But as I looked round, it became apparent no-one had lived here for quite some time; there was no moss or feathers lining the sleeping areas, and weeds had begun to spring up around a tall rock located in the centre, not far from where I was standing. It towered above me, at least two cats tall, and the ancient stone looked weathered and windblown. It looked incredibly old and noble, piercing the faint dawn light with its silouette.

_This must've outlived generations _I thought, pacing round it until I came to the back. Then I noticed a series of cracks spreading out across the surface, like veins on a leaf; perfect pawholds! It took only a little while for me to scramble up to the top; the rock leant at an angle, making it fairly easy for a strong cat to get to the top. The cracks were the perfect size for my paws, and I didn't make a single slip until I finally stood at the summit. It felt fantastic; the breeze flowed smoothly over my fur, and I squinted into the sun, amber eyes narrowing against its glow. I felt invincible; like a leader of many, ready to dive into battle and destroy my enemies. But my euphorbic happiness was shattered when I looked down.

There, in a large crack cris-crossing a slab of stone, was a pair of gleaming eyes.

They were not one of my siblings; I could spy them out of my peripheral vision, still sleeping safe and sound where I left them. I had not scented any cats on our approach, nor heard any as I woke this morning.

'Who are you?' I called. If this cat was an enemy, then he had to surrender; he couldn't beat all three of us. Could he? But the eyes did not give away any emotion at the cat's obvious discovery; he continued to stare steadily into my gaze, almost beckoning me to him.

Worried for my safety, it took me a little while to summon up the courage to leave my high perch. What if he attacked me while Tide and Breeze slept? I had never been a good fighter; Breeze had always been the quickest and fiercest of us. However, I couldn't just ignore him; he looked as if he had no intentions of leaving, and my curiosity goaded me forward.

I leaped easily down from the rock, feline agility aiding me as I lightly smacked the ground with my paws before walking closer towards the shadow-shrouded invader. 'Who are you?' I repeated as I drew nearer him; once again, he did not reply, but his eyes sparked with a faint amusement at the question. Puzzled still by his odd actions, I stopped at the entrance to the crack, only a tail-length away from him. Once I was inside, I would find out for sure this mysterious stranger intended.

I lifted up one paw and set it down inside the cavern, but before I could duck my head under, a familliar voice rang out behind me, and I turned my eyes towards the speaker.

'Who are you talking to?'


	3. Chapter 2

Tide's eyes stared at me questioningly, and I whipped my head back to the crack, expecting the stranger to tell us who he was. He couldn't hope of escaping now, not with two cats awake and battle-ready.

But nobody was there. For a moment, I stood bewildered as I searched the empty space where the eyes had been with a questioning gaze. Now halfway inside the crack, I realised that it in fact opened into a small cave, sandy-floored like the hollow, and walled with mossy stone, badly cracked as if spider's webs grew on its surface.

'I thought...never mind.' My mind swam with confusion as I stuttered out the words. How could I have imagined those eyes? They had felt so real, so alive. How could my brain have conjured up such an illusion? But then again, it was morning; I was still a little tired, I supposed, despite the only emotions prevalent being confusion, worry, and a touch of fear.

Tide brushed his pelt against mine, his amber eyes glowing with understanding. 'Don't worry, mouse-brain,' he purred. 'You've just gotten up, and we've travelled a long way.' Then he looked inside the cavern properly, and mewed appreciatively. 'Look at this place!' He wandered around the rounded space in a circle, staring up at the shallow rock ceiling, pawsteps echoing hollowly against the shattered walls. He stuck his muzzle in one of the wider slits, and sneezed, rocking backwards and almost tripping.

I purred in amusement, and walked over, tapping him on the nose with my tail-tip. 'Now whose the mouse-brain?' But Tide wasn't listening; he licked his whiskers cautiously, then began sniffing the air, before burying his nose again in the exact same spot. He withdrew once again, though not so violently, and as he turned to face me, his eyes were shining with unanswered questions. 'Can you smell that?'

I reluctantly sniffed the air near the opening, ears twitching as I picked up a familiar scent. 'No...it can't be...' I carefully inserted a paw in the hole, and drew it out again, staring down at what lay speckled on my pad.

_Poppy seeds!_ 'Mother used to give us these to help us sleep.' My voice showed my bewilderment as I stretched out my paw to show Tide. He looked almost solemnly down at the seeds, eyes shadowed with memories of kithood and Mother as he replied.

'But how could they have gotten here?'

Remembering the dips in the ground, and the worn floor, I created the answer almost immediately. 'Somebody must've put them in here. But why?'

'I don't know.' The eyes, and now this; the morning was getting more and more confusing. The mysteries weighed heavily on my mind as I reached back into the store and tapped the dots back where they belonged. I could've just rubbed them off on the ground, but it didn't seem right. Some cat had put them there for a reason.

'What are you flea-pelts doing in this smelly old cave?' Breeze's voice startled me out of my quiet little reverie, and I turned to see her at the mouth of my discovery, fur rumpled with sleep and eyes glinting with humour.

'Who're you calling flea-pelt?' mewed Tide crossly, but it was a half-hearted attempt at his usual good nature, and Breeze looked suspiciously at him, before asking, 'What's wrong?'

The midday sun shaded Breeze's fur silver as she sat nosed Tide's side gently. 'Tide? You okay?'

'Uh...um, yeah.' Tide blinked his way out of his reverie, then looked up into his sister's face. 'Just...thinking.'

I went over to his other side, and added my comforting purr. We all knew that Mother's death had hit Tide worse than Breeze and I. He had always been the most eager for a story, the one always by her side, eyes shining up at her, drinking her every word. Helping her the most when she got older, more frail; always ready with a paw to steady her, and guide her to a feather-filled nest. The one who tried every healing herb under her passed-down knowledge to save her from her sickness. And now she was dead. The reminder of the poppy seeds, despite being a small one, had shaken him.

I nudged him to his feet. 'Come on, let's go and hunt.' His stomach growled in agreement, and a real smile crossed his face again, before the old spirit of my brother came back in a hefty thump to my side, and a call over his shoulder. 'Bet I catch the most prey!'

'You're on.' I murmured, before running after him. But his despondent face flashed into my mind as I ran, and as I picked up speed, I couldn't quite help but wonder if my brother was quite as cheerful as he seemed.

**Awww, no, guyzz D: I can haz reviews? I know I'm a new author, but if I don't get any reviews, you make me vair vair unhaps. Pleaaassee?**

**Anyway, looks like Tide is feeling pretty bad about his mother's death. What is he really thinking? And what will they find on their first hunting trip on the moors? Remember to R&R!**


	4. Chapter 3

_**Thanks for the reviews guys! Hopefully all your questions should be answered in this chapter. Enjoy, and don't forget to R&R!**_

The speckles of dew still balanced on the ends of the fronds of moor grass and heather glittered in the light as I bounded after my brother. The hollow, despite being lined with gorse, had an opening opposite the strange cave, and it had been easy to scramble up and out, despite my hasty actions. I could easily see Tide's strong grey body leap nimbly across a flat rock that over hanged a gentle slope down which he pelted, with me following a few tail-lengths behind him, and Breeze at the rear. I scrambled over the outcrop, and almost barrelled into Tide, who was unexpectedly crouching down below me, looking out onto the scene stretching out in front of us.

'Wow...look at that!' The words came out of me without me even thinking about it as I saw part of a shimmering expanse of water, azure blue and glinting about two small hillocks away. I ran ahead to the next viewpoint, and now the entirety of a massive lake was revealed to me.

'Looks pretty good.' Tide rumbled.

'Wow...' I heard Breeze's voice sigh breathlessly as she finally caught up with us, and she flopped down onto the ground next to me, resting her head on her paws as she stared out into the valley. 'Really something, isn't it?'

'Too right.' I replied, curling my tail up in delight as I contemplated the surroundings. It was perfect; a territory big enough for ten families of cats, with every hunting ground imaginable; moor, swamp, pine, evergreen, river...It felt worlds away from the stormy, prey-less wasteland we had faced last night.

'Think we'll stay here?' My brother's words had caught me off guard, and I blinked out of my thoughts to answer his question.

'I don't know. It all depends on who we're sharing this with.' My words awakened a new emotion inside me; worry. It would be foolish to hope that we were the only residents of this haven, and I scanned the landscape with new eyes, looking for signs of others. Of course, it was futile, and the presence of my siblings reassured me enough to stop looking. The three of us could probably send of any hostile rogues that came our way.

'Well? What are we waiting for?' Breeze's eyes sparkled as she leapt to her paws, apparently recovered from her dash earlier. 'Let's go hunting!'

It wasn't long before we managed to scramble down the hill and make our way to the pebbly shore of the lake. The round stones slipped under my paws as I skulked near the gentle ripples washing the land, ears pricked and eyes scanning the undergrowth for any sign of movement.

After we had arrived, we made the decision to split up, and so the other two had headed in opposite directions; Tide to the darker pine forest, Breeze to the evergreens, while I stayed close to the shore. The population of prey had frustrated my efforts so far, and flicked my ears in annoyance at the lack of fresh-kill my work had yielded. I turned to look over my shoulder, and to my surprise noted the pine trees some distance away. I'd have to turn back if I wanted to be home by nightfall.

But a sudden rustling set my heart pounding, and I silently turned round and focused on a patch of reeds near the edge of a river flowing into the lake. Finally, some prey that I could take home! I crept forward, floating across the ground, before pausing in order to let the prey show itself. As I crouched, a scent drifted into my nostrils. The smell of...

'Wow! Are you a wildcat?' A bubbling voice gushed out behind me, and I angrily whipped round as a mouse skittered out of the reeds and ran into the woods. A plump kittypet was sitting nonchalantly near the edge of a lake, his light blue eyes as round as saucers as he craned his neck at me. He looked young; no more than 7 moons, and his rounded body was covered with sleek tabby fur.

'What if I am?' My voice ripped out into a snarl as I stalked over to him. 'Your stupid bumbling kittypet mews scared away my lunch!'

'Oopes, sorry.' His cheery mew infuriated me, and I bared my teeth as I replied. 'Don't you understand? That might be all I get to eat today!' Inside, I doubted it (with Breeze on the case, we weren't often left hungry), but I wasn't about to let it on.

'Really?' The kittypet sounded a little remorseful this time, and for a moment I thought I had gotten through his thick fur. But he brightened up again as he said cheerfully, 'Don't worry! You can get some food at my house. My housefolk are normally out at this-'

'What makes you think that I would want any of your stinking slop?' I hissed. 'Just keep your flea-pelt away from me.'

With that last remark, I stormed off down the lake shore in a huff, lashing my tail so it flicked the kittypet in the face.

'Look who decided to turn up.' Tide purred his greeting playfully, before stepping back and examining my empty jaws in pretend hurt. 'What? No prey?'

'I would have some, but...' I told the whole tale of my encounter with the tabby kittypet, and when I was done, Breeze growled a little.

'Stupid kittypets. Don't know their head from their tail.'

'Too right.' I said with feeling. 'Need any help with that?' I pointed with my paw to the small heap of furry mammals by my sister's feet. She nodded gratefully, and I picked up a mouse and a vole in my jaws while she carried a pigeon, and Tide carried his squirrel. We set back off to the moors, the warm blood seeping in my mouth as I relaxed in the evening sunlight. Nothing could have been better.


End file.
